Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Please note that Liza from MacKomics Studio is hosting the Dress Up Challenge for the rest of 2011. She has the link tool posted for September's theme at her blog. I know you are going to love Liza and she is going to be an awesome host! Thanks so much to all the participants throughout my run as Dress Up 2011 Hostess. Thanks also to Liza for taking over!

I am proud to announce the Dress Up 2011 artist theme for September is......

ANYTHING GOES!

I've decided all the themes up till now. Now it's your turn! You decide on an artist, an art movement, a color, or even a Broadway show (ah, the photo above)! It's all up to you! Just remember to keep it family friendly...You'll find the Simply Link tool at the bottom of this post!

I'm excited about finishing up my August Dress Up(Pointillism), which I will be posting asap. I'm also excited about the possibilities of my September dress, but I have a huge favor to ask. I am requesting one of you take over the Dress Up 2011. I have gone back and forth in my head on whether I want to give up being the host, but, honestly, I've been a horrible hostess these past few months and I'm afraid it will only get worse after I have my total knee replacement surgery toward the end of September. So, if someone wants to volunteer for hosting duties, please send me an email or leave me a comment. Thanks for understanding.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Since I'm going to a wedding late Saturday afternoon, I've got "something borrowed, something blue," on the brain! I created a Treasury List on Etsy with that theme in mind...BLUE, that is. Have a look and find your favorite!

The fabulous blue bracelet was made by the fabulously creative Cindy Adkins! She is a terrific artist and friend. She "featured" me on her magazine blog, Whimsical Musings Magazine. She has an awesome Etsy Shop and another blog called, Whimsical Musings. Thanks again Cindy!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Congratulations to Liza from MacKomics Studio! Liza won my bag giveaway! Liza can now choose any bag in my Etsy Shop and it's her's! In case you missed it, this giveaway was my way to celebrate the opening (finally) of my Etsy Shop! I'm so thrilled with the feedback I gotten back about my shop! Guess what? I made my first online sale over the weekend! I'm still learning the ins and outs of Etsy, specifically, tags, labels, categories, "circles," etc. I'm still not sure how to add more tags and what they should be in order to get my views, but I'm sure I'll sort it out soon! I'll have plenty of time for an Etsy education pretty soon. More about that in the next paragraph, so keep reading! Again, I just want to say, "thanks" to my fellow Etsy sellers for adding me to their circles and helping me spread the word about my shop!

I also want to thank everyone who commented or sent me emails in response to my last post about my weight loss. Your words of encouragement really help to keep me motivated. I'll let you in on the real reason I've been trying to lose weight and get into shape. I'm scheduled for total knee replacement surgery next month! If you are a regular reader, you'll remember that I had knee surgery this past March. I had the hardware removed that had been replaced a few years ago. You could say I had a screw loose! Well, that surgery really kicked my butt. My recovery was slow and hard. It made me realize, however, that I needed to get into shape before the "biggie" surgery. So, that's my reason for my latest diet and exercise plan. After all, I do not want to hobble into rehab post surgery and have the 70 and 80 year old patients outdo me! Embarrassing! Seriously, I am happy I am finally going to have a new knee. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Finally, here is a sneak peak at one of my new bags.

Going For a Ride Zipper Bag

Going For a Ride Zipper Bag

I'll be placing into my shop soon. For the record, the pleating, along with the "recessed" zipper...not so easy. Oh, I'm looking for a pattern or online tutorial for a laundry bag / backpack. My biggest daughter, my soon to be college graduate (fingers crossed), would like one so she can carry her laundry to the laundry mat. If you know of a good pattern or online tutorial, let me know! Thanks.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

I slipped away today to one of my favorite antique malls. I came home with a few old sewing books, like the one pictured above. It's from 1958! I also picked up a few not so old recipe books. I think they are from the early 1990s and they are full of low calorie recipes. I know, not very exciting, but I'm committed to sticking to this diet. I've lost nearly 20 pounds and am motivated, finally, to getting fit and staying healthy. By the way, August is the third anniversary of being a quitter...a non-smoker, that is. Woot woot!

Flapper Girl Zipper Bag

Happy Secretary Zipper Bag

Thanks to all you guys for visiting my Etsy Shop. I've added a few more image transfer bags, embellished with fabric yo-yos and buttons, so please visit again and pick out your favorite(s). Remember my GIVEAWAY ends Monday! I'd love to make it to 200 Followers, too! Hint hint! Also, be sure to link up to the August Dress Up! August will be over before you know it!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Well, it's finally happened! Yep, I opened my Etsy shop! It was a long time coming, I know. I "opened" my shop at the end of last week and I've been slowly, but surely, adding new items almost everyday. To those of you who have an Etsy shop, you know it takes awhile to actually "post" your listing huh?! So, I'm not 100% sure I'm doing everything right, but hey, I didn't know what I was doing when I started this blog either!

So, what am I going to do to celebrate the grand opening? Well, I'm having a giveaway! I am going to give away one of the bags in my shop! That's right, you can choose any bag! Here are the guidelines:

Saturday, August 6, 2011

I'm taking a break from Shark Week to share a few photos of some of my latest projects. First, the above bunny. Yes, it's a bunny. I tried my hand at felting this afternoon. A few weeks ago, I saw Isabella Hoffman on Sewing With Nancy. She was felting with a felting machine, which actually looked like a sewing machine except without thread or a bobbin! How cool! I couldn't go out and buy one of those machines, so I bought a hand felting tool and mat. I used freezer paper to make the bunny shape on a tan colored piece of felt. I then placed the bunny shape on a piece of wool and then went to town with the felting needle tool. It was fun. I'm going to play around a bit more with Mr. Bunny and maybe even add some shading with the fabric markers. Sidenote: It seems kind of weird to be crafting with wool and felt when it is so hot outside! Oh well!

I want to show you a few more of the zippy bags I've finished. I transferred images to all of them and then embellished with yo-yo's, rick rack, beads, free motion embroidery, buttons and lace. More stuff for my yet-to be opened Etsy Shop!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Is it Friday yet? Wow, it's only Monday and I am so ready for the weekend! I got a few bags completed this past Saturday and I want to get back into my sewing studio to keep it going. I got to spend most of the day in my sewing studio. It was so great....just me and my Janome. I finished up a few "free-motion" bags as well as a couple of image transferred zippy bags, including the one pictured above. I embellished the Cowgals bag with some beads and embroidery, as well as some ribbon on the bottom. Here is a look at the back of the bag as well as the inside:

I transferred another image, this one depicting an old bicycle messenger service. I didn't embellish this image. Instead, I "patchworked" the back of the bag.

"Adams Express"

You might recognize the fabric I used for the rear of the bag. It's that scrumptious Etsuko Fuyura designed Echino fabric I used for my daughter's Sweet Pea purse. Still love that fabric!

I am really pleased with how the images transferred. I still think the results achieved using the gel medium transfer method is so much better than printing directly onto computer "fabric." It's just more genuine, if that makes sense. Anyway, read through my Image Transfer Tutorial and give it a try...I think you'll be really impressed!

Stay cool everyone! It was officially 104 degrees outside as I drove home this afternoon...and I just heard tomorrow is supposed to be the hottest day of the year!! Ugh!